Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Pitchblenders: Só Danço Samba
Pitchblenders
Genre: Jazz, Live Music
Venue: Valvona & Crolla
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Pitchblenders is a swing quartet that is presenting a concert on the theme of Samba more, with vibrant and sensual stylings from South America and France.
Review
Pitchblenders is a swing quartet that’s been performing in Edinburgh since 2015. It started as a weekly Friday night jam session at Mother’s Gin Bar. From there it grew into a regular group that has been presenting shows at the Edinburgh Fringe since 2018.
Each year they tackle a different musical concept. This year it’s all about Samba and more, vibrant and sensual stylings from South America and France.
The musicians are top notch players who work very well together.
Dick Lee tackles many aspects of music, including writing, composing, arranging, playing, recording, producing and explaining in his recurring jazz lecture series. He leads and/or plays in bands including Dick Lee’s Swingtet, New Phoenix, Dr. Lee’s Prescription and Bechet Nouveau. He plays a variety of saxophones, clarinets, recorders and even a swannee whistle.
Jerry Forde has been playing double bass since 1978. He started his jazz career guesting with multiple bands, then joined Bill Salmond’s Louisiana Ragtime Band and Swing ’82. He’s the leader of the New Phoenix Jazz Band and plays double bass and bass guitar with Dr Lee’s Prescription.
Phil Adams plays guitars and banjo with Jerry Forde’s New Phoenix Jazz Band, the Edinburgh Jazz Bar Big Band and the Shades of Dave Pell Octet. He leads, arranges and transcribes for Pitchblenders. He’s been a regular in a variety of groups with Dick Lee and Jerry Forde since moving to Scotland in 1990. He and Dick are the two halves of The Sappers, featuring the big-band sound of acoustic guitar and clarinet.
Singer Christine Adams has performed in venues around Scotland, including in the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. She has sung with New Phoenix for eleven years. She is an accomplished soprano with a unique and natural early jazz and blues voice. She has a very pure tone that is an excellent match for the styles of songs that she is presenting. She has mastered Spanish, Portuguese and French enough to deliver songs convincingly in those languages. Her inflections and subtleties are very expressive.
Adams is charming, funny, and entertaining. She makes the audience feel like they are at a soiree in her living room.
Together they bring the Spanish, Portuguese and French music to life. Christine gives the audience the background of the song and the meaning of the lyrics, then the band masterfully performs the tune. Instrumental solos are tasty, and deftly delivered on guitar and woodwinds. The instrumental backup beautifully enhances and compliments the vocals.
The program opens with Manhã de Carnaval in Portuguese, composed by Luiz Bonfá with lyrics by Antônio Maria. It is a well-known standard from the 1959 film “Black Orpheus”. “Outra Vez” is a Portuguese tune that tells the story of losing a loved one and feeling lonely until they return. Although the story is about heartbreak, the music is lively party-style. Close your eyes and you can imagine you are on a beach in Brazil.
“Sous le ciel de Paris” or “Under Paris Skies” takes us to Edith Piaf in the 1950s. It is a dreamy version of Paris, where people are falling in love. The clarinet solo is a perfect match for this tune. We’re off to a bridge in Paris.
A second Edith Piaf song is “L’accordéoniste” or “The Accordionist”. It is a 1940 tune about a “lady of the night” who is in love with an accordion player.
Staying on the love theme, “Boum!” is a nice, bouncy swing tune from 1930. It is a story about how happy one is when they fall in love.
“Nunca vas a comprender” or “You Will Never Understand” is a Spanish song by Rita Payés. Its lyrics and melody convey a powerful message about love, loss, frustration, sadness and resilience.
“Veinte Años” by the Buena Vista Social Club is a song about an old flame. In a minor key, it conveys sadness.
“Tico Tico no Fubá” from 1917 is possibly the most famous Brazilian samba. Written by the famous sambista Zequinha de Abreu, it was first recorded in 1931 by the Colbaz Orchestra. Modern day listeners will recognize it from the “Alô amigos” Disney movie sung by Aloysio de Oliveira.
There is song about a woman caught skinny-dipping in the moonlight. There are more songs in Portuguese, French and Spanish.
Overall, the program is very well-paced and varied, yet true to the theme. Together, the pieces make for a delightful musical experience. My one suggestion would be to add a percussionist to further enhance the Samba rhythms.
Grab a Caipirinha drink and let this talented band transport you to Carnival in Rio or a café in Paris. You will be moved by the music and inspired by the stories.
